DAILY BLOG

Today, we headed west from Colby, Kansas to Orem, Utah. Up until 4:00pm, the tour was uneventful.

The bike rack three hours before the accident occurred

However, when we turned off I-70 West to Rt. 6 North in rural, desolate Utah, everything suddenly changed for us on our routine pre-bike tour trip out to the west coast. An afternoon storm arose in the valley we were going through that produced a wicked cross-wind of at least 50-60mph. I began to be a bit concerned about the four bikes on the roof rack, knowing that the cross-wind must be putting a lot of pressure on the rack. But, given the 2-lane highway we were on, there were no real places to stop or even slow down. So we preceded on. However, within 5 minutes, I suddenly heard a loud noise and immediately looked in the rear view mirror to see what happened…I saw the four bikes attached to the bike rack smash down on the highway and slide over to the shoulder of the road.

Disaster yes, but it could have been far worse…Praise the Lord that on the relatively busy highway, no one was behind us! That accident could have been a real disaster!

We jumped out of the vehicle and went to retrieve the damage. Not only did we have to deal with the fact that our bikes were seriously damaged just days before our bike tour is scheduled to begin, but our bike rack was unusable. So, in a vehicle already stuffed full with supplies, we had to figure out how to somehow fit four bikes and a bike rack in the cabin to make it to our hotel. If you would have seen the filled vehicle before, you would surely have said it was not possible. But, with God’s hand watching over us, we bent some law of physics and somehow were able to miraculously fit them in there.

Miraculously fitting the wreckage inside the cabin

In a grand (providential) irony, our whole purpose in traveling to Orem in the first place is to visit our bicycle sponsors, Fezzari. We had scheduled a brief visit and quick tune up for tomorrow, but now we have to head there for “disaster recovery” and determine just how serious the damage is. From the looks of things, my bike took the brunt of the impact, shattering the handlebars, rear derailleur, chain, and perhaps even the frame. The other three bikes received minor to moderate damage, but should be be repairable.

Rich’s fallen bike

Rich’s frame took the brunt of the fall

Assessing the damage back at the hotel

We would appreciate your prayers as we seek to get our bikes back in working order tomorrow, so we can get out to California to begin the tour on time this Saturday.

As a father, one of the special things about today’s events are seeing how the boys lived out their faith today in the midst of the crisis. Even while we were picking up the carnage on the side of the road, I heard Jordan encouraging his brothers about how God will use this situation. On the drive to the hotel, each of them were offering their bikes to me in case mine is not repairable. Later on at supper, each of them talked with a confidence of God’s hand in the events. They proved a great encouragement to me not be allow myself to be anxious or stressed out about the various logistics and financial and schedule ramifications, and to simply trust in the Lord.